Why read Holding Their Breath?

Book cover of Holding Their Breath: How the Allies Confronted the Threat of Chemical Warfare in World War II

Book description

Holding Their Breath uncovers just how close Britain, the United States, and Canada came to crossing the red line that restrained chemical weapon use during World War II. Unlike World War I, belligerents did not release poison gas regularly during the Second World War. Yet, the looming threat of chemical…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Holding Their Breath as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Thomas I. Faith

Author

This book provides an answer to a question that historians of arms control have asked since WWII ended: Why had the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield not become widespread in WWII, in the same manner it had in WWI? Focusing on Britain, Canada, and the United States, Holding Their Breath explores Allied reluctance to use chemical weapons and their formulation of a joint policy on chemical warfare. M. Girard Dorsey shows that the potential for chemical warfare in WWII profoundly influenced the course of the war’s events.

From Thomas' list on chemical weapons.